Announcements

הִנֵּה מַה טוֹב וּמַה נָּעִים שֶׁבֶת אָחִים גַּם יַחַד
Hinei mah tov u’mah na’im: shevet achim gam yachad.
Here is what is good and pleasant: to sit as siblings all together.

~Psalm 133

Temple B’nai Brith is about to embark on Project Yachad, the seating and accessibility initiative for our beloved old sanctuary. The TBB Board of Directors has approved the recommendations of the Project Yachad Working Group. We will implement the project this summer, starting on June 8th. Here’s a summary of how we are moving forward. 

Additional information and previous documents about Project Yachad, including Rabbi Eliana’s announcement in February and materials from the community meetings in March are available here.

 Remind me why we’re renovating the sanctuary?
We need better accessibility for our congregation: a floor-level Torah reading table, comfortable and accessible chairs, and flexibility in seating arrangements.

We need more usable space in our synagogue building: the Children’s School is bursting at the seams and needs more space. We also hope, if possible, to again use the Nissenbaum Social Hall, which is now used by the Children’s School on Sunday mornings, for adult activities such as brunches, adult education, lectures and programs, and meetings on Sunday mornings. Highly configurable seating in the sanctuary for a variety of uses will help a lot.

We need more flexibility in configuring the sanctuary for our services, so we can offer both an intimate and welcoming space for our smaller Shabbat and holiday services and plenty of seating for the High Holidays.

What will the renovations consist of?
All the pews in the sanctuary will be removed. 

The oak floor in the sanctuary will be repaired and refinished.

We are purchasing 110 well-cushioned and sturdy chairs, with wooden backs and upholstered seats and seat backs, and built-in book storage. The wood of the chairs will match the color of the ark; the fabric will be an attractive purple. Thirty percent of the new chairs will have arms.

We will place a reading table on the wooden floor in front of the bimah.

The bimah will remain exactly as it is now and the Torah scrolls will remain in the ark.  We will be able to use the bimah for High Holiday services and any services where we have a larger crowd.

Sound quality in the sanctuary will be evaluated and addressed and improved as necessary.

When will the renovation work take place?
The pews will be removed starting on June 8, 2025 and the sanctuary will be emptied of pews by the end of June. The floor refinishing will be done over the summer, with plenty of time for outgassing and dispersion of any chemical fumes. The chairs will arrive by the end of August.  The sanctuary will re-open well before the High Holidays.

Why did we decide not to carpet the floor?
You may have heard that the Working Group’s initial unanimous recommendation, which the Board approved, was to carpet the entire sanctuary floor. More than a dozen long-time congregants expressed passionately that they wanted to retain the wood flooring.  After much discussion and reconsideration, the Working Group decided that the aesthetics and advantages of the historical wood floor merited foregoing carpeting.  Should it become clear that carpeting the floor would make the sanctuary a better space for worship and other uses, that could be done at some point in the future.

 Will there be any pews left in the synagogue?
We are planning to retain a few of the pews, along with all of the small metal plaques, and place them in other areas of the building.

Why can’t we retain some of the pews in the sanctuary along with some new chairs?
The Project Yachad team considered this carefully, as a few long-time congregants felt strongly about the aesthetics and history of the pews. But ultimately, prioritizing accessibility and configurability led us to decide to remove all the pews. 

Will there be improvements to the sound quality in the sanctuary?
Once the initial renovation is complete, we will be able to assess how the sound quality could be improved. We are likely to purchase a better amplification system for use in larger services. We will install some soundproofing to the sanctuary doors and ask ushers to pay attention to keeping the doors closed to limit sound transmission between floors. 

How will seats be arranged for Shabbat services?
Options abound, and experience will guide us over time. Chairs arranged in curves facing the floor-level Torah reading table would allow an intimate prayer experience. We will be able to arrange chairs in a circle for Kabbalat Shabbat. 

How will seats be arranged for the High Holidays?
The new chairs will be supplemented with the burgundy stacking chairs used in Nissenbaum Hall. The arrangement is yet to be determined. We will have enough chairs to reach the maximum legal occupancy of 230 on the sanctuary floor.

What are the plans for the removed pews?
Unfortunately, we were unable to find new homes for the pews.  Many congregations are doing what we are doing and there is a glut of used pews on the market. So, sadly, we’ll have to discard them. Anyone who would like to take some of the pews home is welcome to, at no charge – just contact Brad Bortner at bradbort@gmail.com before June 8.

What about the balcony seating?
The balcony seating will be left exactly as is.  The piano – which does not work and has not been used in generations and would cost too much to fix – will be removed.

How will the chairs and renovation be paid for?
Funds for Project Yachad are being raised separately from TBB’s operating budget. The total budget for the project is $66,000, including a $10,000 contingency. Generous members have already pledged over $45,000.  We hope to receive some grant money as well.

Can I still contribute financially to the costs of Project Yachad?
Yes, you can! Although we have already raised more than two-thirds of the $66,000 budget, additional generosity is needed. The chairs cost $300 apiece, and we have $5,000 budgeted for auditory improvements in the sanctuary.

How will we commemorate the things we will miss about the old configuration?
Rabbi Eliana will be leading a Sanctuary Transition Ceremony as part of the Tikkun Leyl Shavuot, our communal evening of learning to welcome the holiday of Shavuot. It will be at 7:45pm on Sunday, June 1 as part of an evening of dinner and dessert, learning, singing, fun and socializing with people of all ages. We hope you will join us at TBB that evening!

There will also be a rededication ceremony for the sanctuary in its new form in the fall.

How can I find out more?
Additional information and resources are available here.